Notification profile configuration based on device orientation

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a user places a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone) facing downward on a table. A process running on the mobile device determines an orientation of the mobile device (i.e., a facing downward orientation), and determines that the mobile device has been in the facing downward orientation for over a threshold period of time (e.g., 3 seconds), then the process automatically selects a “Quiet” notification profile, and turn off the mobile device&#39;s display, without additional input from the user.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to mobile devices, and, moreparticularly, to methods of selecting a notification profile of a mobiledevice based on device orientation.

BACKGROUND

A mobile device (e.g., a cell phone, a tablet computer) can notify auser one or more events (e.g., a calendar reminder, an incoming call, anew email message, etc.) with different indications or notificationoptions for different events, for example, a chime indicating a calendarreminder, a ring tone indicating an incoming call, a vibrating alertindicating a new email message, etc. Mobile devices often have multiplenotification profiles suitable for different settings (e.g., “Loud”,“Normal”, “Quiet”, “Off”) and each notification profile can have a setof notification options, with a specific notification option for eachevent of a set of events. For example, a “Loud” notification profile mayhave a high-volume chime for a calendar reminder, an escalating ringtone for an incoming call, and a vibrating alert for a new emailmessage; a “Quiet” notification profile may have a vibrating alert for acalendar reminder, a short beep for an incoming call, and no indicationfor a new email message. Mobile devices such as cell phones often havepre-defined notification profiles. A user can configure the pre-definednotification profiles or create a new notification profile.

SUMMARY

Particular embodiments relate to methods of selecting a notificationprofile of a mobile device based on device orientation. These and otherfeatures, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure are described inmore detail below in the detailed description and in conjunction withthe following figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example processing stack of a mobile device.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate example orientations of a mobile device.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method of selecting a notification profileof a mobile device based on device orientation.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example method of selecting a quiet notificationprofile based on device orientation.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example back-side display of a mobile device.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example mobile device platform.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is now described in detail with reference to a fewembodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are set forth in orderto provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It isapparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the presentdisclosure may be practiced without some or all of these specificdetails. In other instances, well known process steps and/or structureshave not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscurethe present disclosure. In addition, while the disclosure is describedin conjunction with the particular embodiments, it should be understoodthat this description is not intended to limit the disclosure to thedescribed embodiments. To the contrary, the description is intended tocover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be includedwithin the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims.

A mobile device may have one or more notification profiles and eachnotification profile defines a specific indication or notificationoption for a specific event of a set of events. For example, a cellphone may have a notification profile consisting of three notificationoptions for three events: a ring tone for an incoming call, a chime fora new voicemail message, and a vibrating alert for a new text message.Processing a notification of an event based on a notification profilemay be implemented by combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware(or device drivers). FIG. 1 illustrates an example processing stack of amobile device (e.g., a smart phone). In the example of FIG. 1, themobile device may comprise hardware devices (220) such as communicationinterface devices (e.g., a cellular interface, a Wi-Fi interface),Input-Output (I/O) devices (e.g., a touch screen, speakers, alight-emitting diode or LED indicator, a camera, etc.), sensors (e.g., aGlobal Positioning System or GPS sensor, a proximity sensor, anaccelerometer, etc.), and other hardware devices. One or more devicedrivers in driver layer 202 hosted by one or more processors 210 of themobile device can communicate and control the hardware devices. One ormore processors 210 can execute various software programs, for example,operating system 203 running one or more application programs (e.g., webbrowser, address book, etc.) in applications 205 and managing one ormore hardware devices via the one or more device drivers in driver layer202. Libraries 204 can include one or more libraries used by one or moreapplication programs in applications 205.

A notification profile may be implemented by a process or thread, forexample, a notification manager process running on one or moreprocessors 210. The notification manager process can subscribe as alistener to a library function for telephony status, which communicatesby a device driver with the cellular communication interface device todetect changes in telephony status (e.g., an incoming call, a newvoicemail message, no cellular signal, etc.). For example, when themobile device receives an incoming call, the notification managerprocess can detect the event (the incoming call) via the telephonystatus library function. The notification manager process can access alocal storage of the mobile device for a notification profile, determinean indication or notification option for the incoming call—e.g., aflashing LED indicator with yellow light. The notification manager thencan access a driver for the LED indicator (via a function call, forexample), cause the LED indicator to flash yellow light in apre-determined cadence for a pre-determined period of time.

A user of a mobile device can change an active notification profile bymanually accessing a user interface for the notification profiles, andselecting one from a plurality of available notification profiles as anew active notification profile. For example, as a user sits in front ofa table in a conference room preparing for an upcoming meeting, the usermay change the active notification profile of his smart phone byaccessing a graphic user interface of notification profiles of the phoneand selecting a “Quiet” notification profile, which may havenotification options such as LED flashing for a new email message, andno indication for all other events (e.g., an incoming call, a new textmessage, etc.). In contrast to manually selecting a notificationprofile, particular embodiments herein describe methods of automaticallyselecting a notification profile, and more specifically, methods ofselecting a notification profile based on device orientation and,optionally, one or more additional conditions. As in the previousexample, in one embodiment, as the user sits at a table in a conferenceroom preparing for an upcoming meeting, the user can place his smartphone on the table with the front side of the smart phone facingdownward. A process running on the smart phone can determine a physicalorientation of the phone (i.e., a facing-downward orientation), anddetermine whether the phone has been in the facing downward orientationfor a threshold period of time (e.g., over 3 seconds, etc.). If bothconditions are met (i.e., 3 seconds after the user placing the smartphone facing downwards on the table), the process can automaticallyselect the “Quiet” notification profile (or some other notificationprofile, such as a custom “Meeting” notification profile), withoutadditional input from the user. In the Quiet notification profile, forexample, phone calls may cause the mobile device to vibrate or pass thecalls to voice mail, while SMS or other text notifications may cause themobile device to vibrate or flash an LED or other visual indicator.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate example orientations of a mobile device with adisplay disposed on a front side of the mobile device. A user can holdthe mobile device (e.g., a smart phone) vertically (or almostvertically) during a phone call or while reading contents in the mobiledevice's display, as illustrated in FIG. 2A. A user may place the mobiledevice on a horizontal surface (e.g., a table top) facing upward, asillustrated in FIG. 2B, or facing downward, as illustrated in FIG. 2C.The mobile device may comprise an accelerometer operative to detect thephysical orientation of the mobile device. As illustrated in the exampleprocessing stack of FIG. 1, a device driver may receive and processorientation data from the accelerometer, while a program hosted by oneor more processors of the mobile device may determine a currentorientation of the mobile device or detect a change in the orientationby subscribing as a listener to a library function that interpretsorientation data from the accelerometer's device driver.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method of selecting a notification profileof a mobile device based on the physical orientation of the mobiledevice. The example method of FIG. 3 may be implemented by anotification profile manager process executed by one or more processorsof the mobile device. In particular embodiments, the mobile device(e.g., a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) maycomprise an orientation sensor (e.g., an accelerometer). In particularembodiments, the mobile device may comprise a first display (e.g., atouch screen) disposed on a front side of the mobile device. Inparticular embodiments, the mobile device may comprise one or morehardware devices that can be used alone or in combination for presentingnotifications (or presenting indications) of one or more events to themobile device's user. Example hardware devices include speakers foraudible alerts, LEDs and other lights for visual alerts, displays forvisual alerts, and vibrating systems for haptic alerts. A notificationprofile can be set to use one or more notification methods for a givenevent type (such as incoming call, SMS/text, chat message, notification,or email). That is, each event type can include a set of selectednotification methods. Each notification profile may represent aselection of notification methods for a set of event types. For example,pursuant to a “Normal” profile, the mobile device's speakers can play aring tone or a chime to indicate an incoming call. The mobile device'stouch screen can display caller information (e.g., a name and a profilepicture) of an incoming call. The mobile phone's LED indicator can flashand the speaker can emit a tone to indicate a new email message. Forexample, the mobile device's vibrating system comprising an offsetweight attached to a motor can produce a vibrating alert to indicate acalendar reminder.

The mobile device may have one or more pre-configured notificationprofiles (e.g., notification profiles configured by the mobile device'smanufacture). In other embodiments, the mobile device's user may accessa user interface of the notification profile manager process to select anotification profile from a plurality of notification profiles,configure an existing notification profile, and/or create a notificationprofile, and cause the notification profile manager process to store theselection and/or configuration in a local storage of the mobile device.In particular embodiments, each notification profile of the plurality ofnotification profiles may comprise notification options, wherein eachnotification option comprises an specific indication for a specificevent type of a plurality of events (e.g., incoming call, SMS/text,email, chat message, and the like). For example, in a “Silent”notification profile, SMS or other text notifications may cause themobile device to flash an LED, while phone calls may cause the mobiledevice to pass the calls to voice mail. In some embodiments, a selectionof a notification profile may cause changes in states of one or morehardware devices. For example, after a user selects the “Silent”notification profile, the mobile device may power down the mobiledevice's display. In one implementation, the notification profile thatis manually selected by a user can be a default notification profilethat is used by default, except when one or more pre-configured deviceorientations and/or other conditions are met.

In particular embodiments, the notification profile manager process maydetermine an orientation of the mobile device (301). For example, thenotification profile manager process may periodically access theorientation sensor's device driver via a library function call anddetermine an orientation of the mobile device (e.g., a facing downwardorientation, or a vertical orientation). In particular embodiments, thenotification profile manager process may determine whether one or moreadditional conditions are met (302). If the one or more conditions aremet, the notification profile manager process may select a notificationprofile based on the orientation of the mobile device (303). Forexample, the notification profile manager process may periodicallyaccess the orientation sensor and record the determined orientation inassociation with a time stamp. The notification profile manager mayrepeat this polling and recording step to develop an orientationhistory. If a sliding window of the orientation history indicates thatthe mobile device is in a select physical orientation for a thresholdperiod of time, the notification profile manager process may transitionfrom a current notification profile to another notification profile,such as a “Quiet” or “Meeting” notification profile.

The example method of FIG. 3 can be further illustrated by FIG. 3A. FIG.3A illustrates an example method of selecting a quiet notificationprofile when a mobile device is placed on a horizontal surface facingdownward. In particular embodiments, the notification profile managerprocess may determine an orientation of a mobile device (311). Inparticular embodiments, the notification profile manager process maydetermine (1) whether the mobile device is facing down, and (2) whetherthe device is facing down for a threshold period of time (e.g. 3seconds) (312). In particular embodiments, if the notification profilemanager process determines both conditions (1) and (2) are met, thenotification profile manager process may transition the mobile devicefrom a current notification profile to a quiet notification profile. Forexample, a user may place the mobile device facing downward on a table,and if the notification profile manager process determines the mobilephone has been facing downward for 3 seconds, the notification profilemanager process may transition to the quiet notification profile, andtransition the mobile device's front-facing display to a lower powerstate (e.g., power-off). For example, the quiet notification profile mayhave notification options including flashing red light by the mobiledevice's LED indicator to indicate a new email or text message, flashingyellow light by the mobile device's LED indicator to indicating acalendar reminder, and a vibrating alert by the mobile device'svibrating system to indicating an incoming call.

In some embodiments, the mobile device may comprise a second displaydisposed on a back side of the mobile device. FIG. 4 illustrates anexample back-side display of the mobile device illustrated in FIG. 2C.As the mobile device is in a facing downward orientation for a thresholdperiod of time, as in the example method of FIG. 3A, the second displaydisposed on the back side of the mobile device is facing upwards (asillustrated in FIG. 4) and can be used to display additionalinformation. For example, the notification profile manager process mayaccess the mobile device's GPS sensor (e.g., via a function call) for acurrent location of the mobile device, and display a map including thecurrent location in a graphic user interface in the second display. Forexample, in response to an incoming call, the notification profilemanager process may display caller identification information (e.g., aphone number, a name, a profile picture) in the second display. Forexample, the notification profile manager process may display a sendername (or email address), and a subject description of a new emailmessage. For example, the notification profile manager process mayaccess one or more data stores for advertisements and the mobiledevice's user's social contacts that are near the current location, anddisplay the nearby advertisements and social contacts overlaying the mapincluding the current location. For example, the notification profilemanager process may based on a user identifier of a social networkingsystem for the mobile device's user, access one or more remote datastores for one or more newsfeeds and related media contents, and displaythe newsfeeds and the related media contents in the second display. U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0144343, entitled User Interfacewith Media Wheel Facilitating Viewing of Media Objects, which describesmethods of displaying media contents of newsfeeds in a media wheel userinterface, is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety and forall purposes. For example, the notification profile manager process mayaccess a local data store of media content (e.g., a photo folder of themobile device) and display the media content in a media wheel userinterface in the second display. For example, the notification profilemanager may access one or more data stores for one or more publications(e.g., electronic books, web articles) and display the one or morepublications in a graphic user interface in the second display.

In some embodiments, the second display of the mobile device maycomprise a display technology different from the first display of themobile device, for example, the second display may be a lower-powerdisplay suitable for display electronic books. For example, in an eventof an incoming call, the notification profile manager may access a datastore to determine caller identifier based on the incoming call's phonenumber, and access one or more data stores for information associatedwith the caller identifier (e.g., the caller's profile picture) anddisplay the caller identifier and associated information in a graphicuser interface in the second display, as described by U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2012/0196581, entitled Caller IdentificationUsing Social Network Information, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety and for all purposes.

With the example method of FIG. 3, a user may “pick up” an incoming callby flipping over his mobile phone with the example method of FIG. 3. Inparticular embodiments, the notification profile manager process maydetermine an orientation of a mobile device (301). In particularembodiments, the notification profile manager process may determinewhether (1) the mobile device is in a first orientation while receivingan incoming call, (2) the first orientation is a facing downwardorientation, (3) the mobile device is in a second orientation afterbeing in the first orientation, and (4) the second orientation is afacing upward orientation or a vertical orientation. In particularembodiments, if the notification profile manager process determines allfour conditions (1), (2), (3), and (4) are met (302), the notificationprofile manager process may transition the mobile device to acommunication profile (303). For example, a user of a mobile phone mayplace the mobile phone facing downward on a table. When an incoming calloccurs while the mobile phone is in the facing downward orientation, theuser may flip over the phone (so the phone is facing upwards) or pick upthe phone (so the phone is in a vertical orientation), the notificationprofile manager process running on the mobile phone may determine thatall four conditions described above are met, and the notificationprofile manager process may transition the mobile phone to acommunication profile, and connect the incoming call, or access one ormore data stores and display caller identification information of theincoming call in the mobile phone's display. For example, thecommunication profile may have notification options including avibrating alert for a new voicemail or email message, and a short beepfor a second incoming call.

Similar to the example above, a user may “hang up” a phone call on hismobile phone by placing the mobile phone on a horizontal surface facingdownward. In particular embodiments, the notification profile managerprocess may determine an orientation of a mobile device (301). Inparticular embodiments, the notification profile manager process maydetermine whether (1) the mobile device is in a communication session(e.g., a phone call, a voice call, a voice-over-internet-protocol orVOIP call) while in a first orientation, (2) the mobile device is in asecond orientation after being in the first orientation, and (3) thesecond orientation is a facing down orientation and is different fromthe first orientation. In particular embodiments, if the notificationprofile manager process determines all three conditions (1), (2), and(3) are met (302), the notification profile manager process maytransition the mobile device to a quiet profile (303). For example, auser of a mobile phone may hold the mobile phone next to his ear duringa phone call (i.e., the mobile phone is in a vertical or almost verticalorientation), after the user places the phone facing downward on atable, the notification profile manager process running on the mobilephone may determine that all three conditions described above are met,the notification profile manager process may transition the mobile phoneto a quite profile, and suspend the phone call (e.g., putting the phoneon mute), or end the phone call. For example, the quiet profile may havenotification options including flashing red light by the mobile device'sLED indicator to indicate a new email, text or voicemail message, and aring tone indicating an incoming call. For example, the user may placethe mobile phone on a table facing upwards during a phone call (e.g.,using the mobile phone's speakers and microphone), and the user can endor mute the phone call by simply flipping over the phone (so the phoneis facing downwards on the table).

A user may select a “Face-up” notification profile by placing the mobilephone a horizontal surface facing upwards. In particular embodiments,the notification profile manager process may determine an orientation ofa mobile device (301). In particular embodiments, the notificationprofile manager process may determine whether (1) the mobile device isin a facing upwards orientation on a horizontal surface, and (2) themobile device is in the facing upwards orientation on a horizontalsurface for a threshold period of time (e.g., one minute). In particularembodiments, if the notification profile manager process determinesconditions (1) and (2) are met (302), the notification profile managerprocess may transition the mobile device to a face-up notificationprofile (303). For example, a user of a mobile phone may place themobile phone on a flat table top facing upwards, and if the notificationprofile manager process determines the mobile phone has been facingupwards on a horizontal surface for one minute, the notification profilemanager process may transition the mobile phone to the face-up profile.For example, the face-up notification profile may have notificationoptions including a ring tone indicating an incoming call, and a chimeindicating a new email, text or voicemail message, while thenotification profile manager process may cause the mobile phone todisplay one or more newsfeeds for the user in the mobile phone'sfront-side display.

In addition to the accelerometer, the mobile device may comprise othersensors that alone or in combination can determine a notificationprofile and/or how the mobile device may behave for a notificationprofile. For example, the notification profile manager process maydetermine a current location of the mobile device by accessing a GPSsensor, a cellular communication interface (e.g., for cellular towertriangulation), and/or a Wi-Fi communication interface (e.g., foridentifying Wi-Fi hotspots), and display a map including the currentlocation in the mobile phone's front-side display for the face-upnotification profile described above. For example, the notificationprofile manager process may access a front-side light sensor (e.g., viaa function call) and determine the mobile device is in darkness, andpower down the mobile device's front-side display for the face-upnotification profile (e.g., the mobile phone is facing upwards but in adrawer). For example, the notification profile manager may access afront-side light sensor and a back-side light sensor, and determinesthat the front-side light sensors detects darkness and the back-sidelight sensor detects light (i.e., the mobile device is facing downward)for a threshold period of time (e.g., 3 seconds), the notificationprofile manager process may transition the mobile device to the quietnotification profile described above. For example, the notificationprofile manager may access a front-side proximity sensor and a back-sideproximity sensor and determine that both proximity sensors detect nearbyobjects (e.g., the mobile device is in a user's pocket or backpack) fora threshold period of time (e.g., two minutes), the notification profilemanager may transition the mobile device to the “Loud” notificationprofile describe above. For example, the notification profile managerprocess may determine a current time (e.g., via a system call) and ifthe current time corresponds to night time (e.g., between 10 PM and 6AM), the notification profile manager process may transition the mobilephone to the “Silent” notification profile described above, regardlessof the mobile device's orientation or surrounding.

In addition to selecting a notification profile, a mobile device'sorientation can influence other notification parameters associated withthe mobile device. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2013/0054706, entitled Modulation of Visual Notification ParametersBased on Message Activity and Notification Value, herein incorporated byreference in its entirety and for all purposes, described methods ofmodulating notification or operating parameters of an LED messageindicator of a user's mobile device based on message activity andaffinity value. For example, the LED message indicator can be modulatedto present a rapid red heartbeat for messages with high affinity valuesassociated with the user (e.g., messages from the user's declaredrelationships such as parents, boyfriend, or girlfriend), and can bemodulated to present a moderate green heartbeat for a message queue withmoderate message activities (e.g., there are 3 messages in the pasthour, while there is no messages with high affinity values). Themodulation of the LED message indicator can be further adjusted by themobile device's orientation, as described hereafter. In particularembodiments, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet computer)may comprise an LED message indicator disposed on a top edge of themobile device. The LED message indicator is capable of emitting lightsin different colors (e.g., red, yellow, green), in different ratesand/or in different duty cycles. In particular embodiments, a messageactivity monitoring application running on the mobile device may monitorfor messages corresponding to one to a plurality of differentapplications (e.g., email, IM, chat, SMS, voice mail, etc.), anddetermine message activities and affinity values associated with themessages. By subscribing as a listener to a library function thatinterprets orientation data from the mobile device's accelerometer'sdevice driver, the message monitoring application may modulate one ormore operating parameters (e.g., color, rate, duty cycle, etc.) of theLED message indicator of the mobile device based on the mobile device'sorientation, message activity and affinity value.

For example, the message monitoring application may determine (1)whether the mobile device is in a vertical orientation (as illustratedin FIG. 2A), and (2) whether the mobile device is in a verticalorientation for a threshold period of time (e.g., 10 seconds). If themessage monitoring application determines both conditions (1) and (2)are met, the message monitoring application can modulate the LED messageindicator to present a rapid red heartbeat for messages with highaffinity values, or modulate the LED message indicator to present amoderate green heartbeat for a message queue with moderate messageactivities. For example, the message monitoring application maydetermine (1) whether the mobile device is in a facing downwardorientation (as illustrated in FIG. 2C), and (2) whether the mobiledevice is in a facing downward orientation for a threshold period oftime (e.g., 20 seconds). If the message monitoring applicationdetermines both conditions (1) and (2) are met, the message monitoringapplication can modulate the LED message indictor to present a rapid redheartbeat for messages with high affinity values, and turns off the LEDif there is no messages with high affinity values.

The notification profile functionality described above can beimplemented as a series of instructions stored on a computer-readablestorage medium that, when executed, cause a programmable processor toimplement the operations described above. While the mobile device may beimplemented in a variety of different hardware and computing systems,FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of the main components of anexample computing platform of a client or mobile device, according tovarious particular embodiments. In particular embodiments, computingplatform 702 may comprise controller 704, memory 706, and input outputsubsystem 710. In particular embodiments, controller 704 which maycomprise one or more processors and/or one or more microcontrollersconfigured to execute instructions and to carry out operationsassociated with a computing platform. In various embodiments, controller704 may be implemented as a single-chip, multiple chips and/or otherelectrical components including one or more integrated circuits andprinted circuit boards. Controller 704 may optionally contain a cachememory unit for temporary local storage of instructions, data, orcomputer addresses. By way of example, using instructions retrieved frommemory, controller 704 may control the reception and manipulation ofinput and output data between components of computing platform 702. Byway of example, controller 704 may include one or more processors or oneor more controllers dedicated for certain processing tasks of computingplatform 702, for example, for 2D/3D graphics processing, imageprocessing, or video processing.

Controller 704 together with a suitable operating system may operate toexecute instructions in the form of computer code and produce and usedata. By way of example and not by way of limitation, the operatingsystem may be Windows-based, Mac-based, Unix Linux-based, Android-based,or Symbian-based, among other suitable operating systems. The operatingsystem, other computer code and/or data may be physically stored withinmemory 706 that is operatively coupled to controller 704.

Memory 706 may encompass one or more storage media and generally providea place to store computer code (e.g., software and/or firmware) and datathat are used by computing platform 702. By way of example, memory 706may include various tangible computer-readable storage media includingRead-Only Memory (ROM) and/or Random-Access

Memory (RAM). As is well known in the art, ROM acts to transfer data andinstructions uni-directionally to controller 704, and RAM is usedtypically to transfer data and instructions in a bi-directional manner.Memory 706 may also include one or more fixed storage devices in theform of, by way of example, hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives(SSDs), flash-memory cards (e.g., Secured Digital or SD cards, embeddedMultiMediaCard or eMMD cards), among other suitable forms of memorycoupled bi-directionally to controller 704. Information may also resideon one or more removable storage media loaded into or installed incomputing platform 702 when needed. By way of example, any of a numberof suitable memory cards (e.g., SD cards) may be loaded into computingplatform 702 on a temporary or permanent basis.

Input output subsystem 710 may comprise one or more input and outputdevices operably connected to controller 704. For example, input outputsubsystem may include keyboard, mouse, one or more buttons, thumb wheel,and/or, display (e.g., liquid crystal display (LCD), light emittingdiode (LED), Interferometric modulator display (IMOD), or any othersuitable display technology). Generally, input devices are configured totransfer data, commands and responses from the outside world intocomputing platform 702. The display is generally configured to display agraphical user interface (GUI) that provides an easy to use visualinterface between a user of the computing platform 702 and the operatingsystem or application(s) running on the mobile device. Generally, theGUI presents programs, files and operational options with graphicalimages. During operation, the user may select and activate variousgraphical images displayed on the display in order to initiate functionsand tasks associated therewith. Input output subsystem 710 may alsoinclude touch based devices such as touch pad and touch screen. Atouchpad is an input device including a surface that detects touch-basedinputs of users. Similarly, a touch screen is a display that detects thepresence and location of user touch inputs. Input output system 710 mayalso include dual touch or multi-touch displays or touch pads that canidentify the presence, location and movement of more than one touchinputs, such as two or three finger touches.

In particular embodiments, computing platform 702 may additionallycomprise audio subsystem 712, camera subsystem 712, wirelesscommunication subsystem 716, sensor subsystems 718, and/or wiredcommunication subsystem 720, operably connected to controller 704 tofacilitate various functions of computing platform 702. For example,Audio subsystem 712, including a speaker, a microphone, and a codecmodule configured to process audio signals, can be utilized tofacilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition, voicereplication, digital recording, and telephony functions. For example,camera subsystem 712, including an optical sensor (e.g., a chargedcoupled device (CCD), or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor(CMOS) image sensor), can be utilized to facilitate camera functions,such as recording photographs and video clips. For example, wiredcommunication subsystem 720 can include a Universal Serial Bus (USB)port for file transferring, or a Ethernet port for connection to a localarea network (LAN). Additionally, computing platform 702 may be poweredby power source 732.

Wireless communication subsystem 716 can be designed to operate over oneor more wireless networks, for example, a wireless PAN (WPAN) (such as,for example, a BLUETOOTH WPAN, an infrared PAN), a WI-FI network (suchas, for example, an 802.11 a/b/g/n WI-FI network, an 802.11s meshnetwork), a WI-MAX network, a cellular telephone network (such as, forexample, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, anEnhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) network, a Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) network, and/or a Long Term Evolution(LTE) network).

Sensor subsystem 718 may include one or more sensor devices to provideadditional input and facilitate multiple functionalities of computingplatform 702. For example, sensor subsystems 718 may include GPS sensorfor location positioning, altimeter for altitude positioning, motionsensor for determining orientation of a mobile device, light sensor forphotographing function with camera subsystem 714, temperature sensor formeasuring ambient temperature, and/or biometric sensor for securityapplication (e.g., fingerprint reader). Other input/output devices mayinclude an accelerometer that can be used to detect the orientation ofthe device. In particular embodiments, various components of computingplatform 702 may be operably connected together by one or more buses(including hardware and/or software). Additionally, computing platform702 may be powered by power source 732.

Herein, reference to a computer-readable storage medium encompasses oneor more non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage mediapossessing structure. As an example and not by way of limitation, acomputer-readable storage medium may include a semiconductor-based orother integrated circuit (IC) (such, as for example, afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific IC(ASIC)), a hard disk, an HDD, a hybrid hard drive (HHD), an opticaldisc, an optical disc drive (ODD), a magneto-optical disc, amagneto-optical drive, a floppy disk, a floppy disk drive (FDD),magnetic tape, a holographic storage medium, a solid-state drive (SSD),a RAM-drive, a SECURE DIGITAL card, a SECURE DIGITAL drive, aMultiMediaCard (MMC) card, an embedded MMC (eMMC) card, or anothersuitable computer-readable storage medium or a combination of two ormore of these, where appropriate. Herein, reference to acomputer-readable storage medium excludes any medium that is noteligible for patent protection under 35 U.S.C. §101 . Herein, referenceto a computer-readable storage medium excludes transitory forms ofsignal transmission (such as a propagating electrical or electromagneticsignal per se) to the extent that they are not eligible for patentprotection under 35 U.S.C. §101.

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodimentsherein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend.Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: one or more processors; oneor more sensors coupled to the processors; and a memory coupled to theprocessors comprising instructions executable by the processors, theprocessors being operable when executing the instructions to: repeatedlyand at predefined intervals of time, periodically access an orientationsensor to determine an orientation of the device at a plurality ofinstances; storing the orientation of the device at the plurality ofinstances to develop an orientation history; using a sliding window onthe orientation history to determine that the device has been in acurrent orientation for at least a threshold period of time and that thecurrent orientation corresponds to a particular one of a plurality ofnotification profiles of the device, wherein in at least one of thenotification profiles an operating parameter of an indication of anincoming message is modulated according to an affinity value of theincoming message with respect to a user of the device; in response todetermining that the device has been in the current orientation for atleast a threshold period of time and that the current orientationcorresponds to a particular one of the notification profiles, determinethat one or more conditions for transitioning the device to theparticular one of the notification profiles are met, wherein at leastone of the conditions comprises the device being in the currentorientation of down-ward facing such that a backside of the device facesupward for at least a pre-determined amount of time; in response todetermining that the conditions are met, automatically transition thedevice to the particular one of the notification profiles associatedwith a quiet mode; and while the device is in the down-ward facingposition and operating according to the particular one of thenotification profiles in the quiet mode, displaying content on a firstdisplay disposed on the back side of the device while maintaining asecond display disposed on a front side of the device in a powered offstate.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the content comprises anindication of the current location of the device; and the graphical userinterface comprises a map comprising the indication.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein the content comprises an indication of a currentlocation of a social contact of a user of the device.
 4. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the content comprises a newsfeed generated by asocial networking system, the processor being operable to access one ormore remote data stores, based on a user identifier of the socialnetworking system for the user of the device, to obtain the newsfeed. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content comprises a publication.6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content comprisescaller-identification information of an incoming call.
 7. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein: a first one of the conditions is the device beingin a first pre-determined orientation; a second one of the conditions isthe device being in the first pre-determined orientation while in acommunication session; a third one of the conditions is the device beingin a second pre-determined orientation after being the firstpre-determined orientation, the second pre-determined orientationcomprising the current orientation that is the downward-facingorientation and different from the first pre-determined orientation; andthe particular one of the notification profiles is a quiet notificationprofile.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication sessionis automatically suspended in connection with the device beingtransitioned to the quiet notification profile.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the communication session is automatically terminatedin connection with the device being transitioned to the quietnotification profile.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:while the device is operating according to the particular one of thenotification profiles, receiving an incoming call; determining that thedevice has transitioned to a new pre-determined orientation, the newpre-determined orientation being an upward-facing or verticalorientation; and transitioning the device from the particular one of thenotification profiles to another one of the notification profiles thatis a communication profile.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein theincoming call is automatically connected in response to the device beingtransitioned to the communication profile.
 12. The apparatus of claim10, wherein caller-identification information is automatically displayedon the device in response to the device being transitioned to thecommunication profile.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at leastone of the notification profiles is a pre-configured notificationprofile.
 14. A method comprising: by a computing device, repeatedly andperiodically accessing an orientation sensor to determine an orientationof the computing device at a plurality of instances; by the computingdevice, storing orientation of the device at each of the plurality ofinstances to develop an orientation history; by the computing device,using a sliding window on the orientation history to determine that thedevice has been in a current orientation for at least a threshold periodof time and that the current orientation corresponds to a particular oneof a plurality of notification profiles of the device, wherein in atleast one of the notification profiles an operating parameter of anindication of an incoming message is modulated according to an affinityvalue of the incoming message with respect to a user of the device; bythe computing device: in response to determining that the device hasbeen in the current orientation for at least a threshold period of timeand that the current orientation corresponds to a particular one of thenotification profiles, determining that one or more conditions fortransitioning the computing device to the particular one of thenotification profiles are met, wherein at least one of the conditionscomprises the computing device being in the current orientation ofdown-ward facing such that a backside of the device faces upward for atleast a pre-determined amount of time; in response to determining thatthe conditions are met, automatically transitioning the computing deviceto the particular one of the notification profiles associated with aquiet mode; and while the device is in the down-ward facing position andoperating according to the particular one of the notification profilesin the quiet mode, displaying content on a first display disposed on theback side of the device while maintaining a second display disposed on afront side of the device in a powered off state.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein the content comprises an indication of the current locationof a social contact of a user of the device.
 16. The method of claim 14,wherein the content comprises a newsfeed generated by a socialnetworking system, the processor being operable to access one or moreremote data stores, based on a user identifier of the social networkingsystem for the user of the device, to obtain the newsfeed.
 17. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the content comprises a publication.
 18. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the content comprises caller-identificationinformation of an incoming call.